MATT DORRIEN – The Key of Grey

Album:
The Key of Grey

Artist: Matt Dorrien

Label: Mama Bird Recording Co.

The Upshot: A remarkable, enjoyable album from start to finish by a very Nilssonesque singer songwriter.

BY JOHN B. MOORE

The comparisons between Portland-based musician Matt Dorrien and Harry Nilsson are nearly impossible to avoid, but that’s certainly not a negative thing. From the opening piano chords of his debut, In the Key of Grey, you can’t help but think of Nilsson at his peak, heartbreakingly maudlin at times. And elsewhere, like on the song “Pretty Little Thing” you hear snatches of Randy Newman at his most sardonic.

The album is a pretty big departure from his previous work in the folk-focused, guitar band Snowblind Traveler. Along with the Nilsson and Newman influences, Dorrien also tosses in some Tin Pan Alley touches, including a little clarinet and saxophone mixed throughout the 10 songs here, adding to a feeling of timelessness.

Maybe the fact that it’s just so rare in 2018 to hear a piano-led album that those influences instantly come to mind, but it’s just as likely that Dorrien’s knack for story-telling and lyrical deftness is what’s leading to the comparisons. Regardless, The Key of Grey is a remarkable, enjoyable album from start to finish.

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